If someone (born later) were to ask me to describe the year 2020, quarantine is one of the key words that comes to mind. I would tell them how challenging and scary it was. I would tell them that countries were running out of supplies, hospitals couldn't keep up with the number of patients, nursing homes were severe hot spots for the illness, schools, universities and most places were closed.
I would also tell them that I heard people who had the illness said that it felt like they were suffocating. It was also important that people slept on their backs, as sleeping on their stomachs could lead to suffocation.
Because there was no cure, people were only allowed to leave their homes once a day to either exercise or go to the grocery store. And if they were outside they had to wear masks and gloves and stay two meters away from each other - which created long lines around store buildings.
In some cases, people couldn't hug or kiss their loved ones.
In some cases, people had to find other places to live so they didn't spread it to their loved ones.
I would tell them that we learned the bravest people were actually healthcare workers, caregivers, grocery store workers (who were often teenagers), post office/delivery workers, personal support workers, and volunteers who allowed food banks and other important charitable work to proceed.
And then that someone might ask me what I was doing during this awful time, and I would awkwardly tell them that I ordered groceries and worked online, read some books and splurged on a Crave subscription.
It's hard to explain.
I knew I was safe at home. I still had an income. I was still able to talk to my friends and family, it was just more video calls and text messages than usual. My personal experience reminded me of being a teenager, so every negative feeling or mood I had also made me think that I may have been in this head space before.
What I became more afraid of is having to adjust when things go back to "normal". Will I be afraid to go outside? Will I make my friends and family uncomfortable if I approach them for a hug? Will I be constantly thinking about everything I touch when I take public transit to work? Will we still celebrate milestones with pot lucks?
I think a lot of us, without realizing it, felt like the world outside of our homes stopped and is waiting for us to return to it when the pandemic is officially over. But that seems too good to be true.
So during this awful time, I prepared myself mentally and physically for how I was going to return to a world that I may not fully recognize anymore and still be happy in it. And sometimes that meant trying to be gentle with myself a little more because the world is going to need me to be gentle with it too.
I knew I was safe at home. I still had an income. I was still able to talk to my friends and family, it was just more video calls and text messages than usual. My personal experience reminded me of being a teenager, so every negative feeling or mood I had also made me think that I may have been in this head space before.
What I became more afraid of is having to adjust when things go back to "normal". Will I be afraid to go outside? Will I make my friends and family uncomfortable if I approach them for a hug? Will I be constantly thinking about everything I touch when I take public transit to work? Will we still celebrate milestones with pot lucks?
I think a lot of us, without realizing it, felt like the world outside of our homes stopped and is waiting for us to return to it when the pandemic is officially over. But that seems too good to be true.
So during this awful time, I prepared myself mentally and physically for how I was going to return to a world that I may not fully recognize anymore and still be happy in it. And sometimes that meant trying to be gentle with myself a little more because the world is going to need me to be gentle with it too.
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